The present invention relates to a traffic system or a traffic method, and more particularly to those where the moving path is substantially fixed.
There are many methods to interpret the human developing history. It is not too much exaggerated if we hold that it is closely related to how the traffic system or vehicle is developed. In brief:
1) Animal power: It is easily exhaustive no matter how many animals are involved in use. The endurance, power stability and power output are relatively limited;
2) Human power: This is limited to the diversification and/or function-multiplication of the bicycle or canoe or the like and has the same limitations as above described since broadly speaking, this is a kind of animal power;
3) Natural power: Artificial utensils, e.g. sailboat, glider, hot-air balloon, raft . . . etc., are driven to move by the possibly existent wind, tide or water potential difference in nature. It goes without saying that we cannot accurately control their power stability and power output and when they can be put into use; and
4) Electric/Mechanic power: Although vehicles powered by any one of the above three kinds of powers are improved in functions with the changing time, it is necessitated that they are limited by their inherent characters. Since the steam engine was invented by James Watt, trains, cars, motorcycles, containers, oil tankers, aircraft carriers, submarines, airfreighters, fighters, airplanes . . . not only all have a rigorously advanced performance but also can be powered to move in an extremely high speed. Since information about these is easily accessible, no further description relating thereto will be given here.
In the striving process for development of the human society, it is often moving to find how the pioneers always sticked to their dreams or ideals. Perhaps, most of them failed. Nevertheless, a few examples of success have successfully built this world of nearly satisfactory technological civilization. Among the above 4 categories, a new category was constructed by a new underlying idea. In eastern logic or philosophy, the human being is closely related to the nature and it is a great task to pursue a harmony therebetween. As such, it is strongly believed that a spectacular or revolutionary creation must originate from such deep but clear inspiration or philosophy. The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, i.e. the so called Fate Symphony composed by Beethoven was enlightened from the voice the landlord knocked the door, which is a good example for what we just mentioned.
The applicant was born at An-Ping Harbor, Tainan, Taiwan. In his childhood, the shock that a hand with a small force could push so big a harbored fishing boat still remains in his present mind. After grown to have the opportunity to get known to the fact that the Dead Sea or Salt Lake exhibits a greater buoyancy, the above shock becomes oscillated in his mind now and then. The present invention was suddenly somehow conceived. In sum, the present invention aims to power a buoyed-up vehicle by the power available on land in order to obtain a conveying medium being even faster or energy-conservative.
Specifically, a traffic system according to the present invention includes a passageway built on a land and defining a moving direction, a buoyant fluid contained in the passageway for generating a buoyancy while displaced, and a vehicle arranged to move in the passageway along the moving direction with the buoyancy from the buoyant fluid. We will compare how the general land vehicle and the present vehicle differ from each other while performing the work:
1) For the general land vehicle: the simplified force and work equations are as follows:
W=mV12/2+FD*D+FF*Dxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1) 
FD=CDAxcfx811V12/2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2) 
FF=xcexcmgxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(3) 
wherein W is the total work done by the vehicle, m is the mass of vehicle, V1 is the speed of vehicle on the land, FD is the total drag force of vehicle in air including the frictional drag and the pressure drag, D is the displacement, FF is the frictional resistance of vehicle on land, CD is the coefficient of the total resistance, A is the span or the characteristic area of vehicle, xcfx811 is the air density, xcexc is the frictional coefficient, and g is the gravitational acceleration.
2) For the present vehicle: the simplified force and work equations are as follows:
W=mV22/2+FD1*D+FD2*Dxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4) 
FD1=CD1A1xcfx811V22/2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5) 
FD2=CD2A2xcfx812V22/2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6) 
Wherein W is the total work done by the vehicle, m is the mass of vehicle, V2 is the speed of vehicle in the liquid, FD1 is the total drag force of the part of vehicle in air including the frictional drag and the pressure drag, FD2 is the total drag force of the part of vehicle in the liquid including the frictional drag and the pressure drag, D is the displacement, CD1 is the coefficient of the total resistance of the part of vehicle exposed in air, CD2 is the coefficient of the total resistance of the part of vehicle immersed in the liquid, A1 is the span or the characteristic area of the part of vehicle exposed in air, A2 is the span or the characteristic area of the part of vehicle immersed in the liquid, xcfx811 is the air density, and xcfx812 is the liquid density.
According to the above equations, we can design the desired characteristic shape of a specific vehicle.
It is therefore attempted by the applicant to provide a new style of vehicle as above-described.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a new style of vehicle.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a new traffic method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle system having a relatively low construction cost.
It is still an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle system having a low operation cost.
Specifically the essential concept of the present invention might be regarded as something like xe2x80x9cto move a boat on the land.xe2x80x9d In other words, the present invention tries to take advantages of moving the boat for the vehicle on the land. A xe2x80x9cboatxe2x80x9d referred to herein is not limited to any specific kind of boat or ship. Any kind of boat or ship, e.g. an air-cushioning boat, which is appropriate to be mounted or powered in the present predetermined passageway is proper. Certainly, for achieving the above-described objects, we must consider various variables and then adjust various parameters according to the above-referenced equations.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a traffic system includes a passageway defining a moving direction, a buoyant fluid contained in the passageway for generating a buoyancy while displaced, and a vehicle arranged to move in the passageway along the moving direction with the buoyancy from the buoyant fluid.
Certainly, the passageway can be made of a material selected from a group consisting of glass, fiber-reinforced plastics, reinforced concrete, steel reinforced concrete and stainless steel. The buoyant fluid can be one selected from a group consisting of water, sea water, condensed sea water, water with an additive, sea water with an additive, and any one which can float thereon the vehicle.
Preferably the present system further includes a control agent for controlling a constituent of the buoyant fluid wherein said control agent controls a specific weight of the buoyant fluid. Such control agent can be condensed sea water having a specific weight ranging from 12 to 16 kN/M3, or an additive for increasing the specific weight of the buoyant fluid.
Preferably in the present system, the vehicle further includes a specific weight detector for detecting the specific weight of the buoyant fluid. The present vehicle further includes a vessel for storing the control agent for releasing the control agent into the buoyant fluid when the detector detects that the buoyant fluid has a decreased specific weight.
Certainly the control agent can be a sterilizing agent or a fragant agent. The present vehicle can assume a shape of a flying boat or a railroad car. The vehicle can include a plurality of said railroad cars which can be used for carrying freight, e.g. containers. The present vehicle can further include a disturbing device for being optionally operated in the buoyant fluid for disturbing the buoyant fluid.
Preferably the present vehicle further includes a bearing mounting for mounting thereon a bearing array for guiding the vehicle to move in the passageway. The present passageway further includes a bearing contact band for contact with the bearing array. This contact band can be obtained by finishing a wall defining the passageway, or can be a contact piece secured to the wall defining the passageway.
Preferably the present vehicle further includes a rudder device for controlling the vehicle to move along the moving direction. The rudder device can include a rudder protruded into the buoyant fluid. The present vehicle can further include a propeller, which can be made of fiber reinforced plastics. The present vehicle can have a hollow housing in which a supplemental buoyant gas is stored wherein the supplemental buoyant gas can be one of helium and hydrogen. The present vehicle can include a control room provided with a propeller control switch, a broadcast system control switch, an air-conditioning control switch, a gate control switch, a control agent control switch, a control switch controlling measurement of a specific weight of the buoyant fluid, a disturbing device control switch and a rudder device control switch.
Preferably the present vehicle further includes a gate formed into a collapsible passage. Normally the present system further includes a station provided with a platform having one side thereof, which is parallel to the passageway, provided with a confining member for isolating the passageway. The present station can have a sliding door for passing freight/passenger through the confining member into/from the vehicle. The present confining member can be in a form of a balustrade. The present passageway can have a greater depth adjacent the station.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a traffic method includes steps of providing a vehicle, providing a medium for carrying thereon the vehicle moving therealong, and providing a buoyant medium for reducing a weight of the vehicle.
Normally the carrying medium is a passageway defining a moving direction. The buoyant medium is a buoyant fluid contained in said passageway for generating a buoyancy while displaced by the vehicle so that the vehicle moves in the passageway along the moving direction with the buoyancy from the buoyant fluid. Certainly the buoyant medium can include a buoyant gas for reducing a weight of the vehicle. The buoyant gas can be contained in a housing of the vehicle.
Normally the present method further includes a step of controlling a constituent of the buoyant medium, which can be performed by a control agent which can control a specific weight of the buoyant medium wherein the control agent can be an additive for increasing the specific weight of the buoyant fluid. Alternatively the control agent can be a sterilizing agent or a fragant agent.
Certainly the present method can further include a step of detecting a specific weight of the buoyant medium, which can be performed by a specific weight detector. Such vehicle can assume a shape of a flying boat or include a plurality of railroad cars. The present method can further include a step of disturbing the buoyant medium, which can be performed by a disturbing device.
Preferably the present method further include a supplemental guiding step for guiding the vehicle to move in the carrying medium, which can be performed by a bearing mounting for mounting thereon a bearing array. Such carrying medium can further include a bearing contact band for contact with the bearing array.
Preferably the present method further include a step of controlling a moving direction of the vehicle, which can be performed by a rudder device. Such vehicle can further include a propeller.
Preferably the present method further include a step of ensuring a safety during a period of getting on/off the vehicle, which can be performed by a gate formed into a collapsible passage. The present method can further include a step of facilitating an access to the vehicle, which can be performed by a station provided with a platform having one side thereof, which is parallel to the passageway, provided with a confining member for isolating the carrying medium. The present method can further include a step of breaking out the confining member, which can be performed by a sliding door for passing freight/passenger through the confining member into/from the vehicle.
According to further an aspect of the present invention, a traffic system include a passageway having two inner side walls and an inner bottom wall and defining a moving direction wherein the inner bottom wall has a transverse cross-section formed into a continuous smooth surface, and a vehicle contained in the passageway and running along the moving direction.
Certainly the passageway can be made of a material selected from a group consisting of glass, fiber-reinforced plastics, reinforced concrete, steel reinforced concrete and stainless steel. The present system may further include a buoyant fluid stored in the passageway for providing a buoyancy while displaced by the vehicle. The buoyant fluid can be one selected from a group consisting of water, sea water, condensed sea water, water with an additive, and sea water with an additive. The present system may further include a control agent for controlling a constituent of the buoyant fluid wherein the control agent can control a specific weight of the buoyant fluid. The control agent can be condensed sea water having a specific weight ranging from 12 to 16 kN/M3 or an additive for increasing the specific weight of the buoyant fluid. Such vehicle can include a specific weight detector for detecting the specific weight of the buoyant fluid, and can further include a vessel for storing the control agent for releasing the control agent into the buoyant fluid when the detector detects that the buoyant fluid has a decreased specific weight. Certainly the control agent can be a sterilizing agent or a fragant agent. If found necessary, the present vehicle can further include a disturbing device for being optionally operated in the buoyant fluid for disturbing the buoyant fluid.
Certainly the present vehicle can assume a shape of a flying boat or a railroad car, or be an air-cushioning boat. Certainly the present vehicle can include a plurality of railroad cars, at least one of which carries freight being, e.g. containers.
Certainly the present vehicle can further include a bearing mounting for mounting thereon a bearing array for guiding the vehicle to move in the passageway. The passageway can further include a bearing contact band for contact with the bearing array wherein the contact band can be obtained by finishing either one of the inner side walls of the passageway, or be a contact piece secured to either one of the inner side walls of the passageway.
Preferably the present vehicle further includes a rudder device for controlling the vehicle to move along the moving direction, which can further include a rudder protruded into the buoyant fluid. Such vehicle can further include a propeller, and can be made of fiber reinforced plastics.
Certainly the present vehicle can have a hollow housing in which a supplemental buoyant gas is stored wherein said supplemental buoyant gas can be one of helium and hydrogen.
Normally such vehicle can further include a control room provided with a propeller control switch, a broadcast system control switch, an air-conditioning control switch, a gate control switch, a control agent control switch, a control switch controlling measurement of a specific weight of the buoyant fluid, a disturbing device control switch and a rudder device control switch. Such vehicle can further include a gate formed into a collapsible passage. Normally the present system further include a station provided with a platform having one side thereof, which is parallel to the passageway, provided with a confining member for isolating the passageway. Such station can have a sliding door for passing freight/passenger through the confining member into/from the vehicle. Such confining member can be in a form of a balustrade. The passageway can have a greater depth adjacent the station.
The present invention may best be understood through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: